The 24th annual festival, which runs Thursday through Feb. 2, won't have any violinists playing heavy metal music at a local motorcycle store, as the 2009 festival did.

But it will showcase musical comedy, a Southwestern premiere, a dissection and performance of Beethoven's third cello sonata, a return to Fort Bliss and a 30th-anniversary celebration of the Boston Chamber Music Society.

Reporter
Doug Pullen

That's in addition to the staples: Pro-Musica's annual collaboration with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra; the Jan. 15 release of Bailey's next CD ("Elgar Cello Concerto," with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra); free films and recitals at the El Paso Museum of Art; plus performances by cellist Bailey, violinists Gil Morgenstern and Chee-Yun, pianists Piers Lane and Natasha Paremski, and the Parnas sisters.

"Diversity has always been one of the rules," said Bailey, El Paso Pro-Musica's artistic director. "We are the classical chamber recital presenters in El Paso and this region. Our job is to make sure that we continue to showcase what's out there."

In this "informance," pianist Rob Kapilow, host of NPR's "What Makes It Great" segments, will put Beethoven's A Major Sonata, or third cello concerto, under the microscope in the first half. Cellist Zuill Bailey and pianist Piers Lane will perform it in the second half.

England's International Wimbledon Music Festival formed a consortium with the Australian Festival of Chamber Music (directed by Piers Lane), Alaska's Sitka Summer Music Festival (which Zuill Bailey directs) and Pro-Musica to commission "Chopin's Waterloo," a piece by conductor and composer Benjamin Wallfisch. It's based on French artist Arman's 1962 work of the same name -- which reassembled pieces of a smashed piano on a red board. This will be its third and fourth performance, after a Sept. 23 debut in Sitka and a Nov. 24 performance in England.

Pianist Benjamin Loeb will accompany cellist Zuill Bailey on Ernest Bloch's "Hebraic Rhapsody" for Cello and Orchestra, Benjamin Britten's Symphony for Cello and Orchestra (which Bailey will record later this month with the North Carolina Symphony Orchestra), and Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto.

Violinist Chee-Yun and pianist Natasha Paremski will team up for Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor and Piazzolla's "Le Grand Tango." The Fort Bliss concert will be the festival's first venture on post in several years.

All tickets, except the El Paso Symphony Orchestra concerts, are available from El Paso Pro-Musica and at the door.

Packages for El Paso performances cost $150, $120 for seniors and military and $30 for students. Packages for all El Paso and Las Cruces events are $200, $140 for seniors and military, $40 for students. Packages for Las Cruces events only are $50, $40 for seniors and military and $10 for students.

Information: 833-9400, elpasopromusica.org.

Doug Pullen may be reached at dpullen@elpasotimes.com; 546-6397. Read Pullen My Blog at elpasotimes.com/blogs. Follow him at @dougpullen on Twitter.

Bach's LunchThe programs are at noon Thursdays at the El"Paso Museum of Art. Free.

Music-centric films will be screened at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the El Paso Museum of Art. Free.

"The Brothers Grimm," Thursday: "Chopin's Waterloo" composer Benjamin Wallfisch orchestrated and conducted Mario Darianelli's score for this 2005 film directed by Monty Python's Terry Gilliam, with Matt Damon and the late Heath Ledger.

"Itzhak Perlman Conducts the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra," Jan. 17: Filmed in Tel Aviv in 2010, the documentary features the legendary conductor and violinist leading an all-Beethoven program, joined by his pianist daughter, Navah Perlman, cellist Bailey and violinist Gioria Schmidt.

"Mr. Holland's Opus," Jan. 31: Richard Dreyfuss was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of high school music teacher Glen Holland in this 1995 film.